Smelting-furnace.



2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZZ, 1909.

G, A. WETTENGEL.

M I m H WITHES'SEE= g 04W G. A. WETTENGEL.

, SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1909.

53,405, Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITE STAT? rice.

CHARLES ALBERT WETTENGEL, OE CANEY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN ZINC,

LEAD & SMELTING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A

MAINE.

CORPORATION OF SMELTING-FURNACE.

Application filed July 22, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

Serial No. 508,918.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES ALBERT VVn'r- TENGEL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Caney, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Smelting- Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of smelting furnaces, particularly to furnaces of the type extensively employed for smelting zinc ores and consists in improvements which prevent waste of the ore with which the furnace is charged, but which when required facilitate the discharge of exhausted material from the furnace.

In the drawings hereto annexed there are shown some of the essential components of a zinc smelting furnace with my improvements attached, in which Figure 1 is a partial cross section of such a furnace; Fig. 2 an elevation at one side of the same; Fig. 3 is a detailed elevation partly in cross section; Fig. 4- is a side elevation of the details shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 5 is a detail on a still larger scale showing a clamp block in side elevation; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the said clamp block.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the general disposition of the parts of a smelting furnace is disclosed; the tubular retorts R, are supported in an inclined position in the furnace, retort plates A hung on the buckstays B extend horizontally across the furnace face, each retort plate lying in front of and below a tier of retorts. Below the retorts and retort plates the ash chute C is provided through which waste materials are passed when the retorts R are discharged. When, as is often the case, such an ash chute is left open, or at best is merely covered by a flat plate, comminuted ore with which the retorts It are charged either slips through the ash chute or falls below and behind the retort plates and between the buckstays and is either lost or inconvenient to recover. In order to remedy this condition I have invented and provided the following improvements, which may be readily attached to smelting furnaces of the character above indicated.

Clamp blocks D, preferably cast, are secured to the front edges of the buckstay webs. Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, a convenient and easily attachable form of clamp block will be found illustrated; these blocks are cast with an inclined front face and with tongues D, D extending rearwardly which embrace the buckstays. In one of these tongues holes D are drilled and tapped, a bolt hole at D is provided; this hole having a shoulder at D to engage a bolt head. Set screws E which thread into the tapped holes D are employed to secure the clamp blocks D to the buckstays as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. Thus the clamp blocks D may be securely attached in any desired position without drilling or otherwise altering the buck stays. The clamp blocks D being secured to each buckstay just below the lowermost retort plate A, aprons G, preferably composed of sheet iron, are secured in an inclined position to the clamp blocks I) by means of bolts F, the latter being passed through the holes D in the clamp blocks and through suitable holes or slots in the aprons, nuts being secured on the bolts F from the outside. The aprons G extend upward so that the lower edges thereof underlie the outer lips or edges of the lowermost retort plates A, and the lower edges of the aprons G extend outward so that any material falling upon the aprons will be discharged thereby in front of the buckstays and conveniently accessible to the workmen; at the same time, since it is necessary periodically to discharge exhaust material into the ash chute G, the lower edges of the aprons G are so disposed as to direct material into the ash chute, provided the latter be not covered.

To provide covering the ash chute and catching spilled ore during the operation of charging the furnace, a pan I is provided which has an upwardly inclined inner edge of such proportions that when the pan is in place as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, its inner upper edge underlies the lower outer edge of the apron G. Handles I riveted to the pans I are provided to facilitate the handling of the pan.

The aprons G are cut away at their upper edges as at G so as to embrace and fit over the buckstays R and extend laterally a sufficient distance so that the adjacent parts of the aprons overlap as at G (Fig. 4c). The pans I are also made of such length as to overlap as at I (Fig. 4:).

When the retorts R are being charged the pans I are placed in the position shown in Fig. 3. Any of the furnace charging material which happens to fall will be caught by the aprons G and the pans I and will rest upon the latter, so that, after the charging operation is finished, the pans I may be withdrawn carrying the spilled material with them and thus the shoveling and sweeping up of this material is entirely obviated. When the retorts R are discharged the waste material is elfectively directed into the ash chute O by the aprons G, the pans I having been removed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is:

1. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, an ash chute, an apron secured below and adjacent to the lowest tier of retorts, and a movable, pan, said apron and pan adapted to overlie and close the ash chute.

2. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, an ash chute, an apron secured below and adjacent to the lowest tier of retorts, and a movable pan having an upwardly inclined flange adapted to underlie the apron, said apron and pan together overlying and closing the ash chute when the pan-flange underlies the said apron.

3. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, retort plates, and buckstays, clamp-blocks secured to the buckstays below the lowermost retort plate and provided with inclined outer faces, an ash chute, an apron secured to the clamp blocks with its upper edge underlying the lowermost retort plate, and a movable pan, said apron and pan adapted to overlie and close the ash chute.

4. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, retort plates, and buckstays, clamp blocks secured to the buckstays below the lowermost retort plate and provided with inclined outer faces, an ash chute, an

apron secured to the clamp blocks with its upper edge underlying the lowermost retort plate, and a movable pan having an upwardly inclined flange adapted to underlie the lower edge of the apron, said apron and pan together overlying and closing the ash chute when the pan flange underlies the said apron.

5. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, retort plates, and buckstays, clamp blocks recessed to embrace the buckstays and removably secured thereto by screws, said blocks having inclined outer faces, an ash chute, an apron secured to the clamp blocks with its upper edge underlying the lowermost retort plate, and a movable pan, said apron and pan adapted to overlie and close the ash chute.

6. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, retort plates, and buckstays, clamp blocks secured to the buckstays below the lowermost retort plate and provided with inclined outer faces, an ash chute, an apron secured to the clamp blocks with its upper edge underlying the lowermost retort plate, and a movable pan, having an upwardly inclined flange adapted to underlie the lower edge of the apron, said apron and pan together overlying and closing the ash chute when the pan flange underlies the said apron.

7. The combination, in a smelting furnace of the character described, of a bank of retorts, an ash chute, and a downwardly and outwardly inclined apron secured below and adjacent to the lowest tier of retorts and a movable pan below the apron and overlying the ash chute.

Signed by me at Caney, Montgomery Co. Kansas this thirteenth day of July 1909.

G. ALBERT WETTENGEL.

Witnesses:

J. C. PARSONS, D. W. MARTIN. 

